


Ramen

by Writemydaydreams



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: 3 years apart, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Inuyasha makes a new friend, One Shot, Romance, Separation, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Twas a cat, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28514118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writemydaydreams/pseuds/Writemydaydreams
Summary: Three years is a long time to be separated from the person you love. Inuyasha had to find a way to cope with Kagome's absence and the possibility he may never see her again. Sometimes support comes from the last place you expect it.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 54





	Ramen

**Author's Note:**

> This is for all the furry little friends that help us get through hard times.

The First 8 Days

Inuyasha tried the well 49 times in the first 7 days after Kagome was taken from him. He’d stood by the well and thought about her 49 times. He'd looked into the well and gave himself a pep talk 49 times. He'd stepped over the edge and felt himself falling 49 and 49 times he had hit the dirt floor at the bottom. He’d felt his heart skip a beat in anticipation 49 times and 49 times he felt it almost stop with the disappointment and grief. He’d stood at the bottom of the well 49 times staring at the ground willing it to open up and swallow him. He'd punched the wall 21 of those times, cursed whoever was listening 37 of those times, and 1 of those times Inuyasha had sat at the bottom and let himself break down and shed a few tears for his loss.

Now here he was, staring at the well on day 8 without her, contemplating attempt number 50. He sighed and, instead of jumping, spun and sat with his back to the well. He couldn’t keep doing this to himself, he had to set limits or he would lose his mind. He had looked for her for 3 days after jumping into the meido before finally finding her only to almost immediately lose her with the banishment of the jewel. The well had disappeared for those 3 days, leaving their friends and family to worry that they may never see the pair again. Kagome had spent 3 days being taunted by the jewel, trying to goad her into making a wish which would trap her soul within the jewel. He’d spent 3 days fighting to get to her, cutting down anything in his path and calling out for her whenever he could. 3 days...

Alright then, 3 days it was. He would try the well once every 3 days, for however long it took the damn thing to reopen. He would start today, since he was already here. He stood and faced the well once again, put his hand on the old wood, and vaulted over the side. 

50 attempts, 50 disappointments…He couldn’t wait for Kagome to come back so he wouldn’t have to do this anymore.

1 Month

The first month without Kagome was maybe the hardest month of Inuyasha’s life. Like everything else in his life though he had survived it. He had stuck to his 3 day rule and he was doing marginally better now. He still had trouble sleeping, still spent too much time thinking about what he had done that was so wrong that the universe wouldn't let him have the one person he wanted, needed, in his life. He occupied his mind most of the time by helping to rebuild parts of the village that were damaged in the fight against Naraku. After a month things were just about back to normal, in part due to the help of Inuyasha's superhuman stamina and strength.

Sango and Miroku had their own hut and were enjoying the early days of their married life. The village had welcomed them openly after Naraku’s defeat, knowing they would no longer have to worry about youkai attacks with a monk and slayer living in the village.

They had also accepted and welcomed Inuyasha. During the rebuilding process he spent a lot of time in the forest, cutting trees and gathering materials. Some of the village men had taken the time to show him which trees had the best wood for building and repair work. He caught on quickly and after a week he was the one getting almost all of the materials they needed from the forest. In exchange for his help a few of the village men helped Inuyasha build his own hut located a little away from the village, near his forest. They also taught him a few useful skills to maintain his new home. They’d built it a bit bigger than he thought he needed, big enough for two people to live relatively comfortably, but he didn’t argue. He wasn’t the only one hoping for the return of a certain young miko.

Inuyasha sat on the roof of his hut, watching the sun sink below the treeline. Tomorrow was a well day and he was never sure if he dreaded or looked forward to it. He usually spent the night before trying the well thinking about Kagome; what was she doing right now, was she happy, was she still fighting those ‘tests’ she was always complaining about...did she miss him as much as he missed her?

Her scent had faded completely, even from most of the items in the backpack she left behind. He had one shirt left that still smelled like her but it was getting faint. At first everything had reminded him of her. The leaves were green like her skirt, the night sky was dark like her hair, water reminded him of how much she liked to bathe, the sound of the village children laughing reminded him of her smile. Basically he was a damn mess almost constantly those first couple weeks.

He had gotten better though, slowly. Now he found himself looking for things to remind him that she existed, that she wasn’t just some wonderful dream he had been having. Her backpack was a treasure trove of memories. There were some of her clothes, a few bottles of the stuff she used to clean her hair, a couple of books she used to look at before dealing with one of those ‘tests’, and the remains of the first aid kit she carried to tend to everyone’s wounds after a battle.

Nobody really talked about her, at least not around him, and he was mostly grateful for that. Maybe someday he would be able to remember her in the presence of others but he just wasn’t ready for that yet. He tended to his memories and his pain in private.

As the last of the light faded from the day, Inuyasha stood and hopped down in front of his hut. He walked inside and settled against the wall for the night. He had a futon (big enough for two, wishful thinking on his part) that he never slept on. He set Tessaiga next to him, crossed his arms in his sleeves, and closed his eyes. He let himself doze lightly, trying not to dream of green skirts and bright smiles.

The next morning Inuyasha rose with the sun and headed to the well. He liked to get his jump done in the morning so he didn’t spend the whole day thinking about it. It also meant that nobody else was around to see him complete his ritual.

He approached the familiar structure and placed a hand on the aged wood. It never ceased to amaze him how much joy this well had brought him...or how much it had taken away.

Thinking of Kagome, of how much he wanted to see her, he jumped. 

57 disappointments, 1 more expletive, and 1 more bloodied fist; he was on a rule today.

He stood at the bottom of the well for a moment, glaring at the dirt under his feet like he could scare the damn thing into letting him through. One of his ears twitched, trying to catch a misplaced sound outside the well. He scowled at the stubborn ground one last time before leaping up to investigate whatever had interrupted his staring contest.

He looked around, not seeing anything at first, then heard the tiniest squeak coming from his left. Looking over he spotted a tiny black and white kitten, no more than 3 or 4 months old. It gave a little squeak again and stumbled it’s way over to Inuyasha. It stumbled because it had somehow managed to get a small green leafy vine stuck around its middle, giving the kitten the appearance of wearing a little green skirt (oh how the universe loved to taunt him).

Inuyasha huffed and dropped down to his knees, giving the kitten an appraising look. It struggled over and tried to climb onto Inuyasha’s lap. “You’re pretty trusting for a cat. How’d you manage to get yourself tangled? Keh, clumsy animal.” 

He scooped the little ball of fur up, keeping an eye out for little claws, and started untangling the vine. It only took a minute or so to completely remove the obstruction, the kitten giving him another little squeak when he set him back down. He gave the ball of black and white fur another once over, noticing how dirty and thin it was.

“You all alone?” Inuyasha inquired, trying to smell if there was a mama cat nearby and coming up with nothing. “Guess I can clean you up a bit. I think I’ve got some fish too, you’re too damn small.”

He picked the kitten up again and headed back to his hut. He set his tiny passenger inside and went back out to fill a bucket with water from his rain barrel. Back inside he grabbed a little wooden bowl and put some fresh water in it then grabbed an old piece of cloth and dipped it in the bucket. He let the kitten finish drinking some water before picking him up and gently wiping away the accumulated dirt. 

Once he was clean, Inuyasha set him down and got up to grab some dried fish. “Here, it’s not as good as fresh fish but it’s all I got right now.” He set the fish down then sat and watched the kitten devour it. When it was done eating it crawled over and climbed between Inuyasha’s crossed legs, curled into a little ball, and started purring. “Ya know, I got things to do today,” he said in mock annoyance. Instead of removing the rumbling lump from his lap, Inuyasha started gently petting it with the back of two clawed fingers.

He let his mind wander to Kagome and thought about how much she would love taking care of a kitten.

2 Months

Miroku loved watching his wife hang laundry. He loved watching her do just about anything, but laundry was definitely in the top three. He’d purposefully bumbled around the first few times he’d ‘helped’ to ensure that watching was the only thing he was allowed to do. Now he made sure to stick around during the chore as often as possible to offer his ‘help’ and admire the view when Sango inevitably refused him.

“Sango, dear, are you sure you don’t want my assistance?” he called, though he already knew the answer.

“No, thanks. I know what your idea of assistance is.” She gave her husband a knowing look then went back to her task. She bent to pick up another piece of laundry to hang, purposefully angling her bottom away from the pervert trying to ogle her.

Miroku looked downright insulted, a look he’d practiced many hours to achieve. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just don’t want my lovely, pregnant wife to strain herself.”

She scoffed. “I can’t be more than a few weeks along, I’m perfectly capable of doing the laundry without your interference.” Changing the subject, she asked “You went to see Inuyasha about that job earlier right? How did that go?”

“Ah yes, well, it could have gone better,” he chuckled. “I’m afraid I may have embarrassed him. Well, more than usual at least.”

“What’d you do?” she sighed. Her husband loved to push their friends buttons whenever he got the chance.

“Nothing my dear. Why would you assume-”

“Save it,” she cut him off. “We both know the answer to that question.”

Miroku gave her an offended look, another one he practiced quite often. “I assure you, it was nothing that I did...this time. I just happen to catch him in a compromising position.”

Sango gasped and flushed with embarrassment. “I don’t wanna hear about that!”

That only caused her husband to laugh, “Now who’s the pervert? I caught him cuddling with his kitten, Sango, not-”

“Don’t finish that sentence!” She was laughing now, having grown used to her pervert of a husband. When they’d both stopped chuckling she asked, “So has he named the kitten yet? He seems awfully attached to the little thing.”

Miroku chuckled again. “Oh yes. Who would’ve thought our companion had a soft spot for cats?”

“Well he’s always gotten along with Kirara so I guess it’s not that surprising. What name did he come up with?”

“Do you remember those noodles Kagome used to bring back for him? The ones in the little cups?”

Sango frowned at the mention of her lost friend. It still hurt to talk about her but Sango and Miroku did their best to keep her in their lives, if only with memories. “I remember. It was his favorite so she always made sure to bring plenty back with her.”

“She did. Do you remember what she called it?” 

Sango was a little perplexed now but Miroku was grinning so she was sure she was missing something. “She called it ninja food, right? Or was that what Shippo called it…?” she trailed off, looking thoughtful.

“Shippo called it ninja food and Kagome would call it that sometimes too,” he confirmed. “She also called it by another name that I remember but I was sure Inuyasha had never paid attention to. Apparently though Inuyasha has a much better memory when it comes to Kagome than he lets on.”

“Miroku, you’re enjoying this a bit too much. Just tell me already, please.”

“Yes, yes. Sorry my dear. She said it was called ramen.”

Now Sango just looked confused. “Alright, so he named the cat... Ramen?”

“Correct.”

She smiled, “That's cute, especially for Inuyasha. So his cat will always remind him of his favorite food that he can’t have anymore?”

“Also correct. More importantly though it will always remind him of the woman who provided his favorite food.”

Sango smiled at the implication. Their friend really was a big softie, though she would never say that to his face. “He’s just trying to remember her in the most ‘Inuyasha’ way possible: indirectly so that nobody knows that’s what he’s doing. And Kagome would definitely love that.”

“She would Sango, she really would. She would also see straight through it.”

Sango giggled and Miroku smiled. At least they knew Inuyasha was dealing with things in his own way. Maybe one day he would even open up to them and talk about the woman they all sorely missed. And when she came back they could all let her know just how devoted Inuyasha stayed to her.

4 Months

Ramen was turning out to be quite the handful. Inuyasha was quickly learning that his kitten may be the only living thing that could annoy him more than Shippo, and that was really saying something. Ramen seemed to have a near endless supply of ‘things that are really cute but get annoying very quickly’ and he seemed determined to demonstrate them all...every day.

Today he was reminding Inuyasha that he could use his tiny claws to climb anything. Whenever he wanted. Wherever he wanted. Including Inuyasha.

“How are you even getting your claws into my damn clothes?” Inuyasha growled at his kitten, who was sitting on his shoulder having climbed there for the third time that morning. “It’s fire-proof and human weapons don’t do shit but apparently kitten claws are it’s weakness. What the fuck furball?!”

Ramen meowed and rubbed his face, rather aggressively, against Inuyasha’s cheek.

“And I know scent-marking when I see it, you little bastard. I’m part inu yokai, remember? I can smell what you’re doing.” He plucked Ramen off his shoulder gently and set him back on the ground behind him, away from the stump he was using to chop wood. “I’m not your damn property.” 

Ramen wound his way through Inuyasha’s legs, rubbing up against him, clearly disagreeing.

He watched the kitten for a minute to see if he could go back to his task. Instead of running off to do...whatever the hell it was kittens did, Ramen jumped up on the stump and started hopping around and pouncing. He wasn’t attacking anything that was actually there of course, just swatting at a hole in the wood? Maybe? Kittens were strange.

“Is there anything you won’t swat at furball?” He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, a habit he’d picked up recently.

Inuyasha sighed and eyed the small axe leaning against the stump. When his cat got into one of his moods (and it seemed like he always was) it was almost impossible to accomplish anything constructive. “Whatever, I got enough wood for a few weeks already anyhow.” He turned away from the stump to head back around to the front of his hut. He took two steps before he felt the tell-tale tug on his hakama that let him know that his shoulder was about to have a guest; a very rude, uninvited guest.

The small weight made its way quickly up his back until Ramen was once again perched happily on Inuyasha’s shoulder. He meowed in triumph and rubbed the hanyo’s cheek, making sure everyone knew he belonged to.

Inuyasha reached up and let Ramen nuzzle his hand. Everything around his hut was starting to smell like the little bastard so why fight it? When Kagome came back he would make sure her scent dominated everything anyway.

6 Months

Inuyasha lay on his back on his futon, right ankle resting on his bent left knee, his temporarily black hair spread out beneath him, Ramen curled up on his chest. He adjusted the tiny green collar one of the village children had made for the cat, lightly scratching the fur underneath.

“She would love you, ya know? She’s got a soft spot for annoying furballs; just look at Shippo, she coddled him constantly. She even has a cat in her time named Buyo, who’s also an annoying furball. I hope you get to meet her someday...Kagome I mean, not Buyo.

“I’m starting to worry that she may forget about me...about all of us. I know she won’t but...shit, she’s been gone for half a year now and it feels like a damn eternity. What if she already moved on?” He sighed and turned his head to look at the fire. 

“She used to try to stay up with me on these nights. She always fell asleep though cause she’s a weak human,” he said gently, affectionately. “She was the first person who knew about me turning human. Wish I woulda just told her what was going on the first time it happened with her around. I made her cry that night, twice.” 

He looked back at Ramen and ran a hand over his soft fur, listening to his quiet purr. “First she cried because she was mad at me, but that was nothin’ new. Stupid woman would cry over anything,” he scoffed. “Then she cried because she thought I was gonna die, like I’d lose to a weak-ass spider demon. Dumb woman, always worrying about me and putting herself in danger.” There was no bite to his words.

He closed his eyes and let his memories flow over him. “I never told her but her scent got me through that night. I wanted to just let go, give in so I wouldn’t have to feel weak anymore. I always hated being human, still do. But she let me use her lap, let me be close to her even after I made her cry. I was an asshole to her all the time and she was always there for me anyway. I really didn’t fucking deserve her.” 

Ramen gave a little sympathetic meow and nuzzled the hand that was petting him. Inuyasha let out another sigh and stared at the ceiling. “If I get her back, when I get her back, I’m gonna make sure I deserve her. I’m probably gonna fuck it up like I always do but it’s Kagome so she’ll end up forgiving me anyway. I just gotta make sure she knows how important she is, how much I need her...how much I fucking missed her.”

His vision swam and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Stupid human emotions.” He didn’t bother wiping away his tears, letting them fall to the futon. When Kagome came back he would let her see him cry, but then they would be tears of joy.

8 Months

“Would you knock that the fuck off!!” Inuyasha ground out between clenched teeth. He picked the little clay cup up off the floor, for the sixth time, and glared at the feline culprit. “You’re gonna break another one asshole.”

“Maybe if you’d stop setting it on the table he’d stop knocking it off,” Shippo suggested.

“Keh, I didn’t ask for your stupid opinion. What’re you doing here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be helping Kaede today?”

Shippo shrugged. “I got bored so I snuck away.”

“You gotta stop doing that,” Inuyasha scolded. “You know she has her hands full taking care of Rin.”

Shippo scoffed, “Rin takes care of herself. She survived how long traveling with your brother?”

“Not the point. If you're supposed to help then stay and help.”

He gave Inuyasha a serious look. “You almost sound like an adult....I don’t like it.”

“Yeah well-” the cup clattered to the floor for the seventh time. “Dammit cat!! What’d I just say?!”

Ramen meowed innocently.

Shippo shrugged. “I told you…”

“And I told _ you _ I don’t need your opinion!” Inuyasha snatched the cup up and slammed it back on the table. Not one to be defeated by an inferior opponent he made sure he set it in the middle, as far from the edge as possible. Then he scooped his cat up and deposited him on the floor.

“You really don’t know anything about cats, do you?”

“He’s been here for 6 months, I think I can handle him.”

“Wanna bet?”

“No. Now go back and help Kaede before I drag you back there myself.” To emphasize his point he picked the little kitsune up by his tail and carried him outside, dropping him unceremoniously in the dirt.

“Fine, I’m going.” Shippo pulled out a leaf and transformed into some kind of bird that Inuyasha didn’t recognize (and was pretty sure didn’t actually exist). “Have fun picking that cup up again,” he called as he took off for the center of the village.

“Yeah, whatever,” Inuyasha groused, turning around and heading back inside.

He didn’t immediately see Ramen when he walked back in so he scanned the floor, trying to locate the furball that was ruining his day. He tried very hard not to lose it when he spotted not one, but three cups, lying on the floor. He swept his eyes up to the table and spotted the original cup, unmoved, in the center of the table.

“Sneaky little bastard.”

Somewhere in his little hut he heard an answering “Meow.”

He started picking up the cups and putting them back in their usual place. He’d have to find some way to secure things so Ramen couldn’t knock them on the floor anymore. Stupid cat really enjoyed making a mess in the hut and he wanted to make sure things stayed neat and clean for when Kagome finally came back.

11 Months

It was a well day and Ramen was missing. Ramen always went with him on well days. Inuyasha tried not to panic, cats wandered off and came back all the time. But Ramen was always there when he woke up, every day for the last ten months, looking for breakfast or just being annoying (or both...usually both). And he always went and sat on the side of the well for Inuyasha’s time travel attempts. So where the hell was he??

He searched his hut frantically for the third time since he’d woken up, though he knew it was a wasted effort. He would be able to smell him if he were still there. He’d already about tore the place apart, even going as far as to pull everything off his built-in shelves (like the cat could be hiding behind a bowl half his damn size).

He headed outside, trying to follow his scent trail. It was useless, his cat had marked his territory a little too well. He did a circle around the hut, checking all the usual places. He wasn’t in the wood pile, or hiding behind the rain barrel, or in his favorite tree, or on the roof.

“Shit, stupid cat, making me worry.” He finally started heading towards the well, hoping to find a sign of his companion on the way. 

He took his normal path to make sure he passed the sacred tree, their tree. It was the only place besides the well where he felt truly connected to her. He would often go there when he couldn't get her out of his head for whatever reason and just sit and talk to her. A small part of him hoped that she could hear him or that she was doing the same.

He didn’t pause at the tree today, still preoccupied with finding his missing cat. He got all the way to the clearing with the well, not seeing, hearing, or smelling anything that would indicate that Ramen was nearby.

As he cleared the trees he looked over at the well, and there was his cat, sitting there waiting for him, perched in his usual spot like the dumb furball he was.

“Stupid cat,” Inuyasha grumbled, relief relaxing his features.

He stomped over and joined his cat at the well, glaring at the source of his worry. His anger was short-lived though, at least his damn cat was alive. He ran a hand down Ramen’s back and stared into the well. Ramen purred and nuzzled Inuyasha’s hand.

“Alright cat, if I don’t come back you know where the dried fish is. Don’t piss in the hut and don’t let Shippo set anything on fire. I’ll tell her all about you so don’t turn me into a liar by not being an asshole after I’m gone.” He gave a similar little speech every time he jumped, just in case.

Ramen meowed, his usual response, and nudged Inuyasha’s hand for one more quick scratch. Inuyasha obliged before vaulting over the side of the well into the waiting dark.

He would be glad when Kagome came back and he wouldn’t have to give any more of his speeches.

1 Year

Had it really been a year? A whole year without Kagome, without her smile, her laugh, her constant whining about needing a bath. A whole year of feeling like half a person, like Inuyasha was missing a part of his soul. He really hoped she didn’t feel like he did. He really wanted her to be happy.

It wasn’t a well day so he stayed away, distracting himself with a long run around the woods. It wasn’t helping; all he thought about the whole time was how much he missed her weight on his back as he ran. When he got her back he was gonna take her on a long run just to feel her there, legs clinging to him, arms wrapped around him, body pressed against him. Shit, this was the opposite of helping.

He ran back to his hut, trying to think of something to get his mind off her. Ramen was waiting outside, chasing bugs around the garden. He found the little cloth ‘mouse’ that Sango made him and tossed it past his cat. Ramen went after it, pounced, then picked it up and brought it back to Inuyasha to toss again. 

He’d been pretty excited the day he discovered Ramen knew how to play fetch. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone, or let anyone know that he enjoyed playing fetch with his cat. Kagome would probably find it amusing though, that the  _ dog _ hanyo was the one doing the throwing.

And there she was again, working her way into his thoughts. It really was useless, he wasn’t getting her off his mind today. There was only one place to go when he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He got up and ran to where their connection was the strongest.

He settled against the sacred tree, under the place they’d met, and started talking to Kagome. He told her about Ramen and all the stupid cat things he had to deal with now. He let her know that Miroku and Sango had two-month-old twin girls that he knew she would adore when she got to meet them. 

He told her about the little home the villagers had helped him build: the home meant for two with the extra storage space and the garden he was tending to just for her. He told her about the extermination trips he and Miroku went on to make extra money, and how jealous Sango got when they found out she was pregnant and had to stay behind.

He told her about the little things Miroku helped him pick up at the market for her, using the extra money he was making. He told her about the chest he had that he was keeping some of her things in so they would be prepared when she came back.

He asked her questions about her life and her family, waiting for answers that never came.

He spent the whole night sitting by their tree, letting his tears flow freely, talking to a ghost.

And Ramen spent the whole curled in his lap, purring and occasionally meowing in support.

He told himself that when Kagome came back she could join him under the tree and he could smile at just being able to hear her voice.

1 Year 3 Months

Inuyasha could feel the weight of his cat shifting around on his chest. Ramen liked to settle near his face in the morning, staring at his source of easy food until he eventually got up to feed him. When staring didn’t work he would gently bite Inuyasha’s nose, then he would move on to pawing at his face, followed not long after by aggressive headbutting.

Today he was trying a different tactic. When Inuyasha opened his eyes, instead of a steady feline gaze or a nip to the nose, he was met with a raised tail and an eye full of feline rear end.

“What the fuck?” he groaned, snapping his eyes shut. “Get your ass outta my face ya little bastard.” He pushed Ramen off his chest, sitting up and finally reopening his eyes to glare at said bastard. “I should let you starve for that.”

Ramen meowed and flopped onto his back, purring loudly and reaching his little paws towards his intended victim. This was his last resort to get what he wanted: displays of overwhelming cuteness. Inuyasha was not impressed.

“You’re gonna have to do better than that after that little stunt.”

He watched his cat roll to his feet, no doubt preparing his not-so-secret weapon: meowing until he got what he wanted.

“Don’t you start.”

“Meow.”

“Not gonna work this time.”

“Meow.”

“You can hunt your own food today.”

“Meow,” but more drawn out and pathetic.

Inuyasha gave his cat a flat look. “Keh, whatever, don’t wanna argue this early in the morning anyway” he grumbled, reaching out and scratching Ramen between the ears before getting up to prepare breakfast for the two of them. “When Kagome comes back I’m gonna make her feed you every morning.”

1 Year 4 Months

Ramen was missing. Inuyasha was frantic. The entire village was on high alert.

Inuyasha and Ramen had been inseparable during the year and few months since the little kitten was found by the well. The cat followed him almost everywhere, only wandering off to chase the occasional bird or rodent. So when 4 days passed without any sign of the feline, Inuyasha knew something was seriously wrong.

All the children in the village were keeping an eye out for the missing cat and Inuyasha was searching the forest every day.

Still, after four days of worrying, there was no sign of Ramen.

Two days ago he’d missed his first well day.

“Dammit, stupid cat, making me worry...again!! Where the hell is he?!” Inuyasha was yelling at trees now. He punched one; it didn’t make him feel any better. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself before he did something crazy, like punch a tree for not answering him.

Then he heard something. He strained his ears and moved in the direction of the sound. As he got closer the vague noise started sounding more and more like a small, pained meowing. Shit, shit, shit! Was Ramen hurt?!

Inuyasha moved a bit faster, almost to the source of the sound. He got down and dug around in a small pile of twigs and leaves, uncovering an alive but injured black and white cat.

“Shit, what happened to you?!” One of Ramen’s paws was bent at an odd angle, there was a shallow cut running up his left side, and his right ear had a small chunk missing from the tip. Inuyasha removed his suikan and gently wrapped up his companion, being careful with his injured leg. He cradled Ramen against his chest and took off towards the village.

He used his senses to locate Kaede, relieved to discover she was in her hut. If anyone could patch up his companion it was her. He burst through her door, startling the old woman in the process.

“Inuyasha, what has you so frantic?”

Instead of answering her, Inuyasha knelt down and laid his bundle on the floor in front of her. He unwrapped his cargo carefully then looked at Kaede expectantly. “I don’t know what happened. I just found him like this.”

She inspected the injured cat, checking his paw to see if it needed set and his side to see if it would need stitched. The bleeding had stopped some time ago but the wound needed cleaned. There wasn’t much she could do for the ear outside of keeping it clean. “I think he’ll be alright, but it’s going to take some time for him to recover. And you’ll need to keep his side clean while the cut heals properly. I can set the paw but you’ll have to make sure to restrict his movement so he doesn’t put too much stress on the injury.”

“That’s fine, whatever I gotta do. Just fix him up, alright?”

Kaede did her best, cleaning the cut and dressing it, splinting his paw, and cleaning his ear. Inuyasha got him to eat a little food and drink some water before she started working then gave him a little more fish before taking him home.

It took a little over a month for Ramen to recover completely, his paw taking the longest to heal. He was a very spoiled cat for that month, Inuyasha doting on his little friend whenever possible. He made sure Ramen always had plenty of his favorite fish, let him use Inuyasha as a bed whenever he wanted, and made sure to pet him as often as he could. Ramen walked with a slight limp when all was said and done but that and his little missing bit of ear were the only reminders of his ordeal.

Inuyasha thought about Kagome a little more often than usual during that month. She was always quick to tend to his own wounds and she never complained about taking care of him. When she came back he was sure she would be great at taking care of Ramen if he ever got hurt again.

1 Year 7 Months

Nothing about Inuyasha was soft, at least not in his opinion. Yeah he was occasionally nice to people, helped someone out every now and again. And of course he was gentle with Miroku and Sango’s twin girls; they were just babies after all. But he was not soft, not even a little. The  _ only _ exception was Kagome, and she wasn’t here. So his point still stood: not soft, at all.

His cat seemed determined to prove him wrong.

Yeah, so he’d spoiled Ramen a bit after his injury. Who wouldn’t though? He was caring for a wounded animal. That didn’t make him soft.

So he let his cat use him as a bed at night and talked to him about Kagome when he couldn’t even talk to his closest friends about her. Ramen didn’t talk back so that made it easier. Nothing soft about that either.

And maybe Shippo had walked in (on multiple occasions) to Inuyasha letting Ramen sit on his shoulder and rub his cheek. The damn cat was gonna jump up there anyway, he’d just worn Inuyasha down, stupid persistent cat that he was. Ramen was the soft one, not him.

It also wasn’t his fault he had to go slower on his patrols so his cat could keep up. He didn’t want him to reinjure his leg dammit, then he’d have to spoil the dumb feline all over again. And he wasn’t about to go running around the forest looking for him again because he couldn’t keep up.

Of course nobody ever actually accused Inuyasha of being soft, at least not to his face. That would only earn someone a knock to the back of the head that would be anything  _ but _ soft. He could see them thinking it though. Everyone would always give him  _ the look _ when they thought Inuyasha wasn’t looking. He knew what  _ the look _ meant: oh, look at Inuyasha gone soft over his little furry friend.

He always responded with growling and glares but it never stopped  _ the look _ . And it was all his cat’s fault. The same cat who was currently curled up in Inuyasha’s suikan...while Inuyasha was still wearing it. His little head was sticking out of the top, tucked under Inuyasha’s chin, and his tail was hanging out through the fold on the front. He’d just wanted to take a quick walk over to Kaede’s to ask the old woman a question. Somehow he ended up with a passenger.

Now everyone he passed was giving him  _ the look _ and he couldn’t even growl like he normally did because he didn’t want to wake up his asshole of a cat. He could still glare at people of course, but the growl was where the real threat was.

Now he was kneeling so some of the kids could pet Ramen, waking the damn cat up anyway. At least he could growl at people again; that would make the rest of the trip to Kaede’s more bearable.

When he got to Kaede’s she immediately gave him  _ the look _ before gesturing for him to sit down. “What can I help you with, Inuyasha?”

He pulled a small bundle of herbs from his sleeves. “Are these the ones you were telling me about?”

She studied the plant and nodded, “Those are the ones. Would you care to tell me why those interest you so much?”

“Nope. Thanks old woman.” He got up and left before she could ask more questions. He didn’t want to explain to her that he was memorizing the location of useful herbs for when Kagome came back; that would just confirm how soft he actually was.

1 Year 10 Months

Everything hurt. His head was pounding, his chest on fire, and his arms and legs felt like they were encased in rock. It wasn’t even a difficult extermination. It should have gone smoothly, a quick swing of Tessaiga, a few sutras for good measure, and back home with their payment.

But no, turns out the villagers weren’t being completely honest about their problem. They were worried nobody would come help them so they really undersold the number of yokai they would be dealing with. Instead of two snake-like yokai there were actually ten. Fucking ten!!

It went alright at first. They took out five of the 30-foot-long bastards no problem. Tessaiga made quick work of four while Miroku took out another with a well placed sutra and his staff. Four of the remaining five had rushed them, almost catching them off guard. But Inuyasha was too fast for them, jumping out of the way of their snapping jaws and taking two more down before a third caught him in the side with its tail, knocking him into a tree. Miroku made quick work of the one that had hit Inuyasha and Inuyasha popped back up quickly and took out the last one. Or at least they thought that was the last one.

The tenth beast caught them completely off guard, sneaking up on them through the trees in the mayhem. It caught Inuyasha in its strong jaws and lifted him off the ground. Its fangs sunk in deep leaving gauges in his torso and thighs. He could immediately feel the effects of the venom, his vision swimming, barely holding onto consciousness. Miroku managed to take their last foe down, freeing Inuyasha, but the damage was already done.

A healer from the village did his best to patch Inuyasha up and gave him herbs to use for the venom. They offered the use of a horse drawn cart so Miroku could get him back to their own village where Kaede could better tend to his friend’s injuries. 

The journey back took the rest of the day and it was miserable for Inuyasha. He could feel every little jolt of the cart, his wounds screaming every time he was jostled. The venom was still spreading, sending a river of pain burning through his veins. He was burning with fever, the venom preventing his injuries from healing as quickly as they should. 

When they got back to the village Miroku laid Inuyasha in his hut and hurried to get Kaede. When she arrived she couldn’t hide her shock at the extent of the injuries. She stayed with Inuyasha for an entire week, keeping him cool through the fever and redressing his wounds when necessary. She’d sent Miroku to get herbs from Jinenji the morning after their return to help combat the venom.

Through it all Ramen stayed curled up near Inuyasha’s head, giving him gentle headbutts and purring. The cat only moved from his spot over the next week to eat and do his business. He would meow loudly to get Kaede’s attention when Inuyasha started to struggle, then purr and nuzzle his companion’s head affectionately to help calm him down. 

It was a tense week. Inuyasha was in and out of consciousness, not really aware of the world around him. He would occasionally call out for Kagome or whimper her name in his sleep. When he started getting some strength back he would reach his hand out, searching for his cat. Ramen always obliged, nuzzling the hand then settling underneath it so Inuyasha could gently pet him.

After one week Inuyasha was finally able to sit up, his mind clearing as the effects of the venom finally wore off. Ramen continued to stay by him, sitting in his lap or lying on his chest now that he was healed enough. It took another week for Inuyasha to feel like himself again. He couldn’t remember much about the first week he was injured. The only things that stood out were his dreams about Kagome returning to him and the sound of his best friend purring by his ear.

2 Years

Two years without Kagome may as well have been a hundred lifetimes. It should have gotten easier with time but he felt her loss just as acutely as the day it happened. Inuyasha spent the entire day at the sacred tree, Ramen curled up in his lap. He talked to the memory of the woman he loved, making promises of devotion and protection if she would just return to him. He was really starting to worry that she never would.

2 years 2 Months

His human nights were never easy. Before he met Kagome they were spent hiding from everyone and everything. Any one of those nights could have been his last and he often wondered how he’d managed to make it as long as he did on his own. He’d been attacked a few times but had somehow managed to escape every time. Sometimes with injuries but never anything serious enough to kill him before sunrise.

After he met Kagome there was a pretty big change in how he spent those nights. He still stayed awake, was still on high alert for any threats, but he wasn’t alone anymore. After a while he actually found himself running  _ towards _ danger before his yokai blood reawoke.

Granted that still wasn’t the smartest thing to do since he couldn’t even protect himself as a human, let alone his friends. Having people who gave a shit about his well-being made him forget that though. Having Kagome near him sent him into a protective frenzy any time he even thought she was in danger. Hell, he’d thrown himself off a damn cliff to save her and that was after only a couple months with her.

He’d let the stupid wolf, the wolves side kicks, Kagura, and even his jackass brother see him on his human night. He'd been lucky enough to avoid Naraku, though Moryomaru had been a close call.

Now that Kagome was gone his human nights had changed again. He was back to spending them alone most of the time. Occasionally he would stay with Miroku and Sango but the older the twins got the less he did that.

Well, he didn't spend them totally alone. Ramen was there, every new moon, listening to him pour his heart out about the woman who was stolen from him just when he was ready to really be with her. Tonight was no exception. 

They were in their usual spot: Inuyasha on his back on the futon petting Ramen, who was curled up on his chest. It was pretty late and the fire was starting to burn down to embers. And like always on his human night he was feeling emotional 

"Have I ever told you about the time I almost kissed her? Well, the second time I almost kissed her. Don’t know what the hell happened the first time, I just remember ending up on my ass. Not that the second time went much better.

“I remember I was worried because I’d just lost Kikyo and I was afraid I’d lose Kagome too. I thought she should maybe just stay on her side of the well, at least until Naraku was gone. Of course she didn’t go for that idea. She isn't the type to run away from anything, doesn’t matter how dangerous it is.

“So I told her I’d protect her with my life. I mean, I was doing that already anyway. If anyone could get themselves into trouble it was her so I was always jumping around trying to save her ass.” He smirked, thinking of all the times his stupid woman put herself in harms way. His brother came to mind and his smirk turned into a grin remembering a few of those encounters.

Ramen nudged his hand and he realized he’d stopped petting him. “Needy damn cat, like you don’t get enough attention already,” he grumbled. Ramen purred when Inuyasha’s hand started to move again.

“Anyway, she was leaning into my side, I was holding her hand, nobody was around but us and suddenly all her talks about ‘mood’ finally fucking clicked. We were so close and she smelled amazing, like her scent was just wrapped around me,” he sighed and closed his eyes, recalling her flushed cheeks and half closed eyes. 

He opened his eyes and scowled, “Then her stupid jerk of a little brother walked in a ruined it. Of course she panicked and slammed my face into the floor! I went from almost kissing her to kissing the ground before I knew what the fuck was going on.”

Ramen meowed and started attacking the small cord that ran across Inuyasha’s chest. He tried to roll onto his back and fell to the futon instead.

“Keh, you’re not even listening,” he chided. “Whatever, if she comes back I’m gonna kiss her as many times as she’ll let me. I’ve got a lot of time to make up for.”

2 Years 6 Months

How the hell had he ended up on babysitting duty? He had claws and fangs and he growled at people, why the hell would anyone trust him with not one, but two toddlers?

Of course Sango and Miroku trusted him with their own lives, he’d protected them often enough. But watching their twins? Their tiny, little, small, fragile, how-the-fuck-do-they-move-so-fast twins? He wasn’t designed for that.

He was designed for cutting down evil yokai and chasing after prey. He was designed for solitude and taking care of himself and nobody else. He was designed to kill not nurture.

So what the hell was he doing watching his friends’ two little girls, alone, with nothing but his cat for assistance?

“You’ll be fine Inuyasha,” Sango had insisted as they rushed out the door. “We really just need a day to ourselves. We’ll make it up to you, we promise!”

He’d never seen his companions move so fast. He was sure they were halfway to the damn hot spring they were heading for before he could even process the fact that he was alone with their children.

Despite his fears the first few hours actually went relatively well. It wasn’t like the girls weren’t familiar with their dog-eared uncle. In fact, ‘inu’ was one of the first words they’d learned. Having Ramen around helped since the girls loved him and he was well-behaved around all the village children.

In fact, the only real hiccup came around nap time. The girls were enjoying their day so much they didn't want it to stop. Inuyasha spent almost an hour trying to get them to lie down before giving up and deciding it wouldn’t be his problem later anyway.

He managed to get them through their midday meal without major incident. The girls were an absolute mess afterwards but at least they’d eaten. Getting them cleaned up was a bit of a chore and took forever because he was afraid of hurting them with his claws. He surprised himself though, learning how to handle them without scratching pretty quickly. Maybe petting Ramen had given him some practice?

They played a few games and Inuyasha learned how quick toddlers could really be. He kept up with them easily enough of course, they weren’t nearly as fast as his stupid cat. The sound of their laughter and the joyous looks on their faces made an unfamiliar but entirely pleasant warmth bloom in Inuyasha’s chest. He couldn’t stop himself from picturing what his own children would look like: the perfect mix of him and Kagome, laughing and running around their little hut.

By the end of the day he’d learned to interpret their unique toddler-language, and even managed to teach them a new word (if you counted ‘keh’ as a word that is). He’d managed to watch his own language. He didn’t want to think of Sango’s reaction if one of the girls started dropping ‘damn’ or ‘shit’ into their toddler-babble.

When the now refreshed couple finally returned in the early evening Inuyasha had to admit that he’d had a pretty good day. It wasn’t a day he wanted to repeat anytime soon, at least not without a little help, but he could at least admit that he’d handle it better than he thought he would.

On his way back to his own home he let his mind go back to his thoughts of Kagome and any kids they would have together if she came back to him. Would they have his silver hair and dog ears? Would they have her deep brown eyes and her beautiful smile? Would their laughter fill their hut like the twins’ had today? If Kagome came back would she want to have children with him?

3 Years

The next six months passed by pretty quickly. Inuyasha and Ramen remained inseparable and there were no more serious injuries between the two. Inuyasha slept on his futon every night now so that Ramen could curl up beside him or on his chest. His human nights were spent telling Ramen all about the woman who held his heart, talking about their journey together, how much she meant to him, and how he still held out hope that she would find her way back.

Miroku and Sango welcomed their first son into the world and Inuyasha found himself looking forward to babysitting him when he got older. Their twin daughters were thrilled to have a baby brother and even more thrilled that their uncle inu was spending more time with them to help out his slightly-overwhelmed friends.

Near the three year anniversary of his and Kagome’s unwilling separation something happened. Inuyasha was visiting with Miroku and Sango, their daughters practicing their climbing skills on him. Ramen was curled up next to him, purring while Shippo scratched between his ears. His cat noticed something before he did. 

Ramen stopped purring and lifted his head, looking towards the forest. Inuyasha, being occupied by the twins, barely noticed when the streak of black and white fur went flying past him. He quickly jumped up to follow, setting the twins by Shippo with a quick “go slay the fox!”.

So preoccupied with catching up to the cat, it took Inuyasha until halfway to the well before he picked up her scent. He didn’t let himself hope at first, this not being the first time he’d thought he could smell her. But as he drew closer her scent only became stronger. 

When he made it into the clearing Ramen was already perched on the side of the well. Her scent surrounded him now, calming his soul and setting his heart racing. Inuyasha ran over and looked over the side of the well. He reached a hand out, hardly breathing, his heart hammering in his chest.

Then her hand grasped his, soft and warm against his calloused skin, and he pulled her up and out of the well. The sight of her caused a tightness in his chest, hardly daring to breath for fear he would blow the image of her away. “Kagome,” he said her name, reverently, filled with the longing caused by three years of separation.

Then he heard her voice, her gentle voice that he’d missed so  _ damn _ much for the last three years. “Inuyasha,” his name sounded so sweet when she said it, “I’m sorry, were you waiting?”

“You idiot, what have you been doing?” He pulled her against his chest then, breathing in her scent. His arms wrapped securely around her, keeping her safe in the cocoon of his sleeves. There were no tears at that moment, both having shed their fair share over the last three years. They merely stood, pressed together, breathing each other in.

They only pulled apart slightly when they heard a meow at their feet. Ramen wound his way through their legs, purring, making himself the center of attention. Inuyasha was about to say something when the rest of their friends arrived.

He let Kagome pull away from him, reluctantly. He only had a second to miss the physical warmth of her before it was replaced by a completely different warmth at the sight of the reunion happening in front of him. 

He had a minute to contemplate how much better things would be now that she was back. His heart already felt lighter, an odd giddiness bubbling just below his calm exterior. She looked so happy to be back and she kept glancing over at him while she hugged their friends and squealed over the children.

He looked over to Ramen, who was now perched on the side of the well watching the new human with interest. “Don’t worry, she’s the one I told you about,” he assured his cat in a low voice. He reached over and rubbed between Ramen’s ears. “Just try not to be an asshole in front of her. I don’t need you making me look bad.”

“Inuyasha.” He would never get tired of hearing her say his name. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” she asked, walking over to stand by him.

“Keh, I wouldn’t call him my friend. He’s more like a little jerk that lives in my hut and eats all my food.”

Kagome gave him a flat look. “Well, does the ‘little jerk’ have a name?”

Inuyasha chuckled, “His name’s Ramen. You can just call him jerk though, or asshole, or-”

“I got it,” she laughed. “You named him Ramen? That’s...actually really sweet.” She turned her attention to the object of their discussion. “Hey there little guy, I’m Kagome.” She reached her hand out for Ramen to smell.

Ramen gave her hand a few tentative sniffs. Inuyasha tensed for a second then relaxed when his cat let out a meow and started rubbing his face all over Kagome’s hand. The sounds of Kagome’s giggle made his heart skip a beat and he couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face.

Miroku and Sango stood there for another minute, watching the touching scene playing out in front of them. Inuyasha had his arms back around Kagome, his hands resting on her back, smiling down at her. Kagome was smiling back at him, her hands on his chest playing with the fabric of his suikan. Ramen, not wanting to be left out, was perched on Inuyasha’s shoulder looking down at the newcomer.

Inuyasha glanced up and caught Miroku’s eye. They both gave a little nod and Miroku started to drag his wife and kids away. It was time to give the couple a little privacy. Even Ramen had hopped down off Inuyasha’s shoulder, choosing to follow the little family instead.

Inuyasha didn’t waste a second once they were alone. He pressed his lips against hers, trying to convey in one kiss everything he’d been feeling in the last 3 years. She returned the kiss, soft at first, and a little shy but obviously eager. Their lips parted and their tongues met, explored, caressed. It was sweet and amazing and filled with their love and longing.

They broke apart, breathing heavy, and Inuyasha placed his forehead against hers. “I missed you so damn much Kagome.”

“I missed you too, Inuyasha,” she breathed.

“Are you...are you staying?” he asked, letting hope and love swell in his heart

He felt her nod. “Yes, this is my home.” She pulled back and met his eyes. “You’re my home.”

“Kagome,” he sighed and kissed her again.

Now that Kagome was back Inuyasha’s new life could truly begin.


End file.
